Clammies @ Terumbu Bemban.....

Last week on Good Friday (which also happened to be Earth Day), we checked out Terumbu Bemban, a submerged reef off Pulau Semakau.



This is my second time to this reef. We were there last year to help ML search for Giant Clams. But we did not see any at that time, as it was a short trip and thus not thoroughly search. So I am glad to come across two Fluted Giant Clams last week! They are pretty near to each other. One is about 35-40cm big while the smaller one is about 25cm big.


Can you see the Giant Clams?



This is the big one in the background of the photo!



And this is the smaller one in the foreground of the photo!

Other than the Giant Clams, am glad to see that the corals are not bleaching like last year!






In addition, came across other marine creatures too!

Another Starry & Sluggish Trip.....

this time @ Pulau Jong! Yes, we were out at Jong on Thursday. We had to start the trip in wet weather, but fortunately, the rain stopped and we had a beautiful blue sky to check out the shore!



It has been almost a year since I last visited Jong. I feel that there are lesser soft corals and hard corals in the tide pool at the center zone. Perhaps, some of them did not make it due to the bleaching that happened last year.


Only a small part of this Staghorn coral is still alive.


Did not see many Flatworm. In fact, this is the only one seen.


Only encounter one Jellyfish too! Strangely, cos it is supposed to be Jellyfish season!


A Hermit Crab.


A Mama Red-eyed Reef Crab! See the black egg mass that she carried? Looks like the babies will be released soon.


A tiny Featherstar/Crinoid about the size of a 5cents coin!




Found three of these tiny Seastars! Looks like the ones that I found at Jong and Cyrene last year!




And this time round, they come with six, seven and eight arms!


A Ornate Leaf Slug (Elysia Ornata).


There were quite a number of Pimply phyllid nudibranch (Phyllidiella pustulosa).



Small and big Polka-dot nudibranch (Jorunna funebris).


There were plenty of these Dermatobranchus nudibranch (Dermatobranchus sp.). I counted more than 10 sightings!


A Black-margined nudibranch (Glossodoris atromarginata).


Came across these two Reliable Chromodoris nudibranch (Chromodoris fidelis).


A closer look at one of them!

And highlight of the day for me would be the two tiny tiny Sea Slugs that were spotted on the Hairy green seaweed. It is my first sighting of them!


Hmmm.....wonder if this is a Nudibranch or a Sap-sucking Sea Slug!


No idea of the ID for this Nudibranch? either.

No Frog But Stars, Slugs And Others @ Pulau Sekudu.....

On Wednesday, we were out checking the intertidal at Pulau Sekudu. Joining us were staff and volunteer from Nparks Ubin.

This small islet just off Chek Jawa, Pulau Ubin, has been listed as a restricted zone as part of Chek Jawa Wetland with effect from October'07. Thus, a permit must be applied from the National Parks Board if you want to land on Pulau Sekudu or to carry any activities in this zone.

Pulau Sekudu mean Frog Island in Malay. But there's no frog to see (except a rock that looks like one) on the island. Instead, it offers wonderful marine creatures for us to discover!

And here are some that we came across:



Found this tiny Seastar that I have no idea of its ID. Could it be a juvenile Cake Seastar?






A variety of Seastars! From top: Cake Seastar?, Biscuit Seastar, Scaly Seastar, Painted Sandstar and Crown Seastar!


Featherstar/Crinoid



Sea Urchin of various sizes!


Pencil Urchin!



The pink Sand Dollars are still there!


Among some Caulerpa seaweeds, you can sometimes find the Volvatella Slug (Volvatella vigourouxi).


The Ornate Leaf Slug (Elysia Ornata) is in season.


A Geographic Sea Hare.


Looks like a Spotted Foot nudibranch (Discodoris lilacina).


This could be a juvenile Rose nudibranch (Dendrodoris fumata). It is said that it will turn black when it reaches adult stage.


Found two Black Prickly nudibranch (Atagema intecta) near a big boulder. And here's one of them with some Skeleton Shrimps crawling all over its "back".


ML spotted this which looks like a Inorate Gymnodoris nudibranch (Gymnodoris inorata).


A new sighting of nudibranch for me is this tiny white one about 1cm. It could be a Jorunna sp.


A Cowrie.


A stranded Octopus.


The only Flatworm that I seen.


A fast moving Scale Worm.


Some sort of Spider Crab?


A Pipefish.


Came across this stranded Eel-like fish.


What better way to end a good trip than a beautiful sunrise?